Column: Tribe deserves respect but not a casino

Thursday, July 15, 2004  

"In Charlestown yesterday, the Indians commemorated the first anniversary of Carcieri's sending in the state police to close their tax-free smoke shop. The raid touched off a furor and built sympathy for the tribe.

'If some people's eyes were opened because of what happened last year, certainly we welcome that,' First Councilman Randy Noka told me. 'The truth of the matter is eyes have to be opened. The reality is that we've been treated with indifference too long.'

Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas told me, 'We're not looking for any sympathy.' Instead, the tribe wants 'respect.'

And it should have respect. But not a casino."

Get the Story:
M. Charles Bakst: Looking for a few good men or women (The Providence Journal 7/15)
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